Baxter Senior Center Outgrowing Current Location, Seeking New Building

The Baxter Senior Center is outgrowing its current location and has begun the search for a new building.

Senior Center Director Brent Lee said the number of seniors the center services has tripled over the last year. He said the center has gone from serving an average of 10 to 15 to people to 40 to 50. Lee said the center has looked at two new locations but both fell through.

“At this point its critical because of the growth we’re looking for a new center,” Lee said. “Without a new center I’m afraid that it will actually stall, and we will actually start losing some seniors from coming.”

Lee said a lot of seniors are coming to Baxter because they offer more activities for seniors than most centers. Senior Center leaders asked Mayor John Martin to help them find a new building during an Aldermen Meeting on Thursday. Martin assured them he would help.

“Our mayor has actually been helping us immensely with funding as well as the opportunity to have the center grow,” Lee said. “We thought by asking the mayor we could actually have the help looking for an additional building.”

The center recently expanded its hours to help alleviate some of the growing pains. They now stay open an hour later, until 3pm. The center also opens on Wednesday, so they are now open five days a week.

“It’s helped by spreading out our participants that come in,” Lee said. “We offer lunch everyday at 12 o’clock, so our seniors get to come in an extra day. Some of them were actually missing meals, and by opening up on Wednesday we’re giving them the opportunity to eat.”

Lee said the building would need to have one big room for events and pickleball, a room for their senior library, a room big enough to seat 40 people during lunch, and a couple of offices.

“We offer them a good fresh three course meal every day,” Lee said. “We also offer activities such as pickle ball, exercise, chair volleyball. We also offer trivia, which keeps the seniors not only active in body but in mind as well.”

Lee said he hopes to get a new location within the next year.